What’s your vision of success when it comes to your exercise routine?

Is it about hitting certain physical goals?

Showing up a certain number of times?

Lasting longer in the hardest workout you have?

Progressing to a specific weight in your strength training?

Finally squeezing into the jeans you wore in 1991?

You have a vision for what exercise success looks like.

And I’m here to shake it up a little.

Give you a reality nudge that’ll serve you in your fitness path (no matter where you are in that road right now).

This topic was featured on a recent episode of the Crunches and Cosmos Podcast. You can hear the episode here…

I want to start with the most important thing for you to understand about what exercise and/or fitness success is…

I beg you to embrace this idea…

You are successful in every sense of the word if you’re showing up…over and over…

Truthfully I could stop this entire post right there. Because it’s the single most important ingredient to your exercise routine.

And if you’re already doing that, then you’re ahead of 99.99% of other women who aren’t.

So, bravo. Go, girl! You’re a beast. Truly.

Now that we’re in agreement that consistency is the single most important thing about your fitness journey let’s move on to some other misconceptions about what exercise success is (and set your heart at ease because you’re probably crushing it).

Here’s what you need to know…

Stop setting the bar for success based on what anyone else is doing (or looks like they’re doing)

We love torturing ourselves with the comparison game.

You must stop this. MUST.

It’s ok to get ideas and inspiration from other people. In fact, that’s smart.

But while you’re on the path to inspiration don’t accidentally fall into the pit of comparing anyone else’s life/goals/journey/butt with you. (*you’ve got an incredible butt, btw, sometimes a girl just needs to hear it, right?)

Because comparing where you are to anyone else is rarely a winning situation. You will almost always come out feeling worse than when you started.

And the last thing your workout routine needs is any negative emotions tied to it.

How can you expect to get excited to exercise if it reminds you of Karen, the mom-of-5, yoga-loving, world traveling rock climber with a great body and no visible cellulite. (Does she inspire me or make me want to knock her upside the head? It’s complicated.)

Karen will be the death of your workout routine. Don’t let her.

Be VERY AWARE of helpful inspiration vs. comparison.

The truth is…

Sometimes you will hate exercise.

It’s ok. You’re ok. We’re ok.

I know Karen looks like she adores every single workout.

But she doesn’t. I promise.

Karen hates it sometimes, too. (She just doesn’t want anyone to know it. Damn, you, Karen. Not cool.)

Here’s what’s important.

Resist the urge to give this feeling more meaning than it actually has.

You’re normal.

It doesn’t mean anything else about you and your morals, ethics or commitment to physical health.

Remember that there are women on the interwebs that are paid to look like they love exercising.

It’s their job. Literally. Don’t forget that.

A good exercise routine takes more effort than you realize

If you’re going to put as much energy and time into planning out your workout calendar as you do folding the laundry then you can expect to look forward to it as much as you do folding the laundry.

Got it?

I’ve been known to get frustrated with women who tell me they’re ‘so bored’ with exercise only to find out they haven’t tried anything knew since Reagan was in office.

C’mon, girls. You’re better than that.

Put the time and focus into making a workout routine you love.

There are a over a trillion (yes, a little sarcasm here) workout options on the market for you right now. There’s something out there that will make your heart sing. That will get you all excited about putting on a sports bra.

Promise.

Remember the last event you planned that turned out really good? Maybe a birthday party or Thanksgiving at your house with all the in-laws?

Did you wake up THE DAY OF the event and make all the decisions about it?

Of course not.

You dedicated time that was necessary to making it really good. So that you could sit back that day and proclaim, ‘yeah, I did this. you’re welcome.’

So, yeah, make your workout schedule as good as the last party you planned–a workout party, let’s call it.

What you need (and like) will change…you must change with it

Guess what? The things you like will change over time.

Do you wear your hair like you did in high school?

Nope. Your style changed.

Have you developed a love of a specific food that you didn’t like in your 20’s?

Sure. Because you changed.

Do you like the same restaurants you did 10 years ago?

Maybe. But you’ve probably added some new ones along the way.

The things in life that ring your bell and light you up will evolve as you do.

Re-evaluate your workout routine ALL THE TIME to accommodate for the personality and energy you’re feeling at that time in your life.

For example, right now I’m a little obsessed with yoga and barre workouts.

But 10 years ago, I couldn’t get through a yoga workout. It was torture for me.

Now, yoga has changed some. But the bigger change is me. I’m not the same person as I was then.

So, keep that in mind.

Re-evaluate your workout personality regularly.

Your fitness routine will (and should) change based on where you are in your life.

You’re not allowed to feel guilty for exercising

I truly wish I didn’t have to say this but some of you need to hear it.

It’s ok to say no to something else so you can get in a workout.

Don’t feel guilty about that.

It’s a choice to make space for guilt.

Don’t do it. Just knock it off, already.

Truthfully, you’re a wise woman for making space in your life to devote to your physical health.

You’ll show up as a better human–better positioned to help others–when you do.

It’s ok to put the mask on yourself first (Delta Airlines said so.)

Nothing has meaning except the meaning you give it

So, you ate an entire pie last weekend and just can’t see the point in exercising anymore.

So, you went on a vacation and missed a week of workouts and feel like you’re physically back at square one and can’t see the point in exercising anymore. (Maybe you’ll get back to it a few weeks before summer vacation starts…)

Stop sabotaging yourself.

You’re normal.

Sometimes you eat too much.

Sometimes you’ll miss a bunch of workouts.

It doesn’t matter.

Keep showing up. I beg you!

Remember what we talked about when we started this journey today?

SHOWING UP is everything.

None of those events are reason enough to stop taking care of yourself.

Stop making space for excuses.

Recognize this pattern in your life.

Don’t let that little voice convince you that missing a workout or eating 10K calories has special meaning. It doesn’t.

Stay the course.

You can hate yoga but you still need to do it…

Ok, ok, stop looking at me like that and let me explain.

Your workout routine needs all the things…flexibility, strength training, balance, coordination, cardiovascular conditioning, muscular endurance, etc.

You must have all the ingredients thrown in there to get the best results.

And, honestly, why do it halfway? Right?

Don’t you want ALL the results if you’re going to devote a portion of your day for the rest of your life to your physical fitness?

Of course, you do.

The key is finding the workouts, instructors, music, settings, environments, etc. that speak to YOU. That light you up. That fit your soul like a glove.

And finally…the butterfly effect…

Here’s the concept I’m referring to…

…small changes in initial conditions can lead to a large-scale and unpredictable variation in the future state of the system.

Merriam Webster Dictionary

I’m not a physicist but I want you to understand that what you’re doing to improve your life and make you a better human is making a positive impact on the world in a way that you can’t imagine.

You’re changing the world in a good way. Literally.

Thank you for that.

Keep it up!

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